Is there any truth, medical or otherwise to the old “Feed a cold, starve a fever” saying? (They’re talking about food, aren’t they?)
My fate keeps getting in the way of my destiny.
not sure about the cold part, but you starve the fever so as to not further stoke the furnace going on in you.
Starving a fever is not necessarly the right thing to do. It is a common misconception that as soon as a person spikes a fever it needs to be broken. Yeah, they are not comfortable, but the purpose of the fever is to help you fight off whatever is making you sick. The raise in body temp is in a effort to denature the proteins of the bacteria or virus that is attacking your body. As a general rule I wont try to break a fever in an infant until 105.0 degrees, adults a little lower. Damage to the body dosent occur until around 108.0 Degrees.
So yeah, it sucks, but unless your about to spontaonusly combust, just let your immune system do its job.
Kinooning it up for 20 years and counting
Kinoons, I’m curious about your answer. My son Billy started seizing at 104 degrees when he was three years old. His pediatrician really reamed me for not calling earlier, saying by 103 I should’ve been putting him in tepid water, and if it didn’t start the temperature down, that I should call the office. I know it doesn’t matter now, he’s fifteen, but I’m still a bit 
Judy
Other thoughts as to the purpose of fever (taken from EB):
- The above-normal temperatures are thought to help defend against microbial invasion because they stimulate the motion, activity, and multiplication of white blood cells and increase the production of antibodies.
-Elevated heat levels may directly kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria and viruses that can tolerate only a narrow temperature range.
I also remember hearing that the high temperature also increases the bacteria’s need for free iron. Since free iron in the body is scarce, this constrains the growth of bacteria.
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Tom Servo: Nobody does. I’m the wind, baby.
Anti Pro
While a normal fever does not need to be “broken” an extreme one does. Just as Alphagene shows in the quote, this can and does happen to the body at elevated temperatures. Luckily the body has a bit wider of a range than viruses and some bacteria so we are not as suseptible to temperature changes. However, it is generally thought that fevers of over 101 are potentialy harmful to the body and should be relieved. Id say dont worry cause obviously you son is fine AND unless someone told you or you studied this area noone should expect you to know it.
Screw rules of thumb. In my experience, do what your body tells you to do. If you’re hungry, eat. If not, don’t. The way I figure it, your body will let you know what you need to do.
Cecil on Feed a cold, starve a fever .
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Anti Pro, children are particularly vulnerable to “febrile convulsions”, so temperatures in children should always be treated promptly. (It is thought that it is the speed of the rise in temperature which causes the fitting but a very high temperature may have the same result).
Once you’re an adult, do what you like. Overfeeding during a cold will not help your body to clear viral load, starving during a fever won’t achieve anything except possibly dehydration if you don’t take liquids. Some people think if they don’t take Panadol or other antipyretics their immune system will have better stimulation. I doubt whether it actually effects the course of the disease very much.
Feed a fever, starve a cold:
you should always feed a fever. Fever is an adaptive response to microbial invasion, as was previously discussed. Along with a fever comes an elevated metabolic rate by the body, which needs like an high revving engine, needs fueled. If its not feed, the body will begin to catabolize proteins, and mobilize faty acids for fuel; which if left long enough, will drive the pH of the down, leading to tremors, convulsions and delirium. Better eat your en noodle soup.
It should probably be, ‘Feed a cold, starve a flu’.
Chicken soup for the cold.
You don’t eat a lot when you have the flu cause you projectile vomit it.